Picture Postcards

Snowy day in the village...
(click on pics to enlarge)

Snowboarders dress funny!

A river runs through it... (well, a creek anyway)

If you have to work instead of ski, might as well drive a Zamboni!

One of our very favorite shops, Christopher & Co. They carry a fabulous selection of vintage travel posters.
I *want* this one!

One of my favorite spaces to just hang out and have a cup of "tea," the lobby of the Hyatt.

A snowy day and kid's ski school area.

Today is our last day to ski, then we travel home tomorrow. I'll catch up with all of your lovely comments and blogs over the weekend. A bientot!

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Colorado's Best

The weather yesterday was gorgeous; sunny and not too cold, not too warm. We had some fabulous runs. With vistas like these we tend to stop and gape periodically.
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Morning in the mountains

This is a real-time "mountain cam" shot of the top of one of my favorite runs. I can hardly wait to get out there!!! I love skiing on the freshly groomed stuff.

Yesterday's skiing was good. There hasn't been much recent snowfall so not much powder, but the packed powder at the top of the mountain is light and soft and very easy to ski. I took it easy on the first day, didn't do as many runs as I could have, but my legs are thanking me for it. (After forking over for lift tickets, one has to constantly remind oneself that the quality of skiing is more important than quantity.)

Off to make breakfast and wake up the "boys." I'll have some of our own pics to share tomorrow.
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Sunday Music Corner

Helmut Fricker is a jolly fixture here, and really seems to have a good time playing with and for the visitors, especially kids. He has a pretty broad repertoire on that alpenhorn; I've heard him play everything from Bach to Barney's "I Love You." ("This Old Man" to most of us.)

No I didn't take this video. I would've tried to capture one of his more traditional Swiss tunes which are very beautiful and melodic.
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Les sports d'hiver

Aprés-ski heaven by deja pseu on Polyvore.com

We're off tomorrow for a week of skiing and other winter fun. I enjoy a good day out on the mountain, but especially when followed with a nice warm beverage by a roaring fire.
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Re-entry

We flew back home yesterday, a short but periodically bumpy trip over mountains and through patches of unsettled weather. Fortunately for le monsieur, who does not like to fly, the pilot warned us that we'd have some turbulence so he was prepared. When ma soeur and I were little, and flying meant dressing up in our Sunday best dresses with the stiff petticoats, white gloves and patent leather Mary Janes, we loved turbulence and were especially thrilled when the plane would hit an air pocket and suddenly drop. We'd giggle and clap our hands. Our mother was not amused and would light up another cigarette to calm her nerves.

Today it's back to the workaday world. While I'm catching up, go check out this unbelievably gorgeous pair of earrings that Wendy B has designed. (No, these aren't the superfabulous thing I'm saving up for, though when I win the lottery I'll add these to my shopping list. )
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Blame it on (the) Manhattan

Our first night in Las Vegas, we stopped into the Sinatra bar for a cocktail. I decided to try their special Manhattan, which includes among other ingredients, a black tea liqueur. It was fantastic. It was also about three times as much alcohol as I normally drink in one sitting.

Afterward we went wandering through the shops (which howdy-do are open LATE) and bien sur I wanted to stop at the Chanel boutique. I was idly perusing the shoes, when le monsieur pointed to one pair I'd been eyeing and said, "those are nice." (He'd had a Manhattan too, and has even less alcohol tolerance than I do.) I tried them on, and was surprised and delighted to find them quite comfortable.


Without further ado...

May I present the utterly classic ballet flats. I am so loving these shoes.

And at least I walked out without the jacket. Yes, jacket. It was blue and white classic tweed, cut like a blazer (narrow lapels, nipped in at the waist) and the sales associate insisted I try one on. It fit like it was Made. For. Me. Not boxy in the least. I almost swooned, it was that gorgeous and looked that good on. I still had enough brain cells functioning to remind myself that it was completely out of the question.

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The Odd and the Beautiful

From the sublime...

Vegas is sort of like the Bizzarro Disneyland. This is where subtlety comes to die. Still, there's some absolutely grand, overripe beauty everywhere you look (and I'm not talking about the women with melon boobs and trout pout). Everything, whether good or bad is overdone, fantastical.

One of my favorite places to visit is the conservatory at the Bellagio. They totally redecorate it every season, and right now it's set up to celebrate the Chinese New Year (February 14, Year of the Tiger). The display is jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

Topiary pandas.

At the new Crystals/City Center complex, very few shops are open and some bits are still under construction. From the outside, it's a very futuristic scape.
The Henry Moore sculpture fits right in.

Diver hand feeding a manta ray in the giant aquarium at Caesar's.

to the surreal...
Our first night, we were enjoying a late dinner at the Daniel Boulud Brasserie, which overlooks the waterfall area at the Wynn. Periodically there are various light shows that feature very Vegas-y imagery against the waterfall wall and on the water. I looked up at one point, and a giant animatronic frog had appeared at the top of the wall. The music switched over to "Low Rider" by War, and the frog commenced to sing to the music, roll his eyes and rock back and forth with the beat. Very fun and whimsical, and I'm sorry I didn't check my snap at the time or I would've noticed his big rolly eyes were closed, apparently caught mid-blink.

Below, from the Crysals mall, this is some sort of lounge area. I'm not sure if they intentionally designed it to look like a giant blowdryer.

Most of the slot machines have some sort of theme. Above was one of the odder ones.

I almost got a shot of Mr. Silver Man smoking a cigarette and drinking a 7-Up, but as soon as he saw me fumbling for my camera, he got back in character. Yes, I gave him a tip.

Best. Signage. Ever.

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Vegas Vacation Proceeds Apace

In keeping with my marinière theme, a gondolier on the canals at the Venetian. Note that this little scene takes places a couple of stories above the casino.

We're up fairly early an on our way out the door for breakfast at Mon Ami Gabi but I'll be back later with more pictures and reports, including a singing frog and an impulse purchase of epic proportions.
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Room With A View

Las Vegas Strip from the 55th floor. I think this is the highest floor I've ever stayed on.
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Vegas, baby!

Le monsieur and I are off to Vegas for a few days of R&R. He received an incredible offer in the mail a few weeks ago from one of the newer hotels which was just too good to resist, and makes the trip actually affordable. We leave tomorrow and come home on Wednesday.

Une femme isn't much of a gambler. Sure, I'll play the quarter poker machines and see how long I can make a roll of quarters last (my record is three days), but I'm far more interested in eating, shopping (window only this trip, as I'm saving up for something fabulous) and perhaps a spa visit. We're planning to check out the new Crystals mall, enjoy a nice meal or two, and maybe take in a show. Probably a hand or twelve of blackjack will be played at some point.

If I cave on paying for internet--which is not free...they want you on the casino floor forking over your money, not surfing the net in your room--I'll post some highlights from Sin City.
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Art and Commerce in Palm Springs

Friday morning we piled everyone into the car and took off, not to the mall but rather to spend a couple of days at the family's desert hideaway. And by "hideaway," I mean...no internet!!! But once une femme got through a few hours of white-knuckled cyber-withdrawal, it was an enjoyable and relaxing getaway.

If you plan to be anywhere near Palm Springs before December 27, you MUST check out the Lino Tagliapietra retrospective at the PS Art Museum. This is an absolutely incomparable exhibit of Italian glass artwork, from an artisan/artist who is widely regarded as the world's best glassblower. The pieces (all 169!) are absolutely stunning, and don't miss the video presentation showing the artist at work. The precision and detail in these works of art is mind-blowing. Favorites were the sculpture below, based on the artist's interpretation of boats, and some of the goblets.

This was my very favorite piece, so serene.

The museum itself has quite an impressive permanent collection as well, including several modern works from well-known artists (Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Rauschenberg, Andy Warhol, and Henry Moore among them) an amazing display of Native American arts, American Western art, two sculpture gardens, a collection of contemporary glass studio art, and several other exhibits that we didn't have time to see.

Another Lino piece. The colors, depth, details and textures are jaw-dropping when seen up close.

I'd forgotten to bring my jacket (lulled into a false sense of security, I suppose, by our blast of warm weather on Thanksgiving) so late Saturday afternoon we drove over to El Paseo in Palm Desert to see if I could find something on sale to ward off the evening chill. Surprisingly, the streets were almost deserted in this posh shopping area, and some stores had even closed early, not the mad shopping crush I'd worried about.

Talbot's came up the winner; this lightweight quilted vest is a fabulous non-bulky layer, perfect for those times when a sweater alone isn't enough, but a jacket is too much. And a weekend 20% off special, not to mention earning double Appreciation Points, helped me rationalize the impulse purchase. I'd never imagined I'd used the words "quilted" and "flattering" in the same sentence, but this vest really is both! If it goes on sale again, I may pick up another color.
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Paris at random

Une femme is working on a couple of posts, but in the meantime please enjoy some various and sundry pictures from Paris.

Day Seven in Paris (and some additional observations on style)

Our last day began with a walk from our apartment over to Jardin des Plantes, which turned out to be further than it looked on the map as we had to walk all the way to the far side to enter. But it was a very pretty botanical garden, though many specimens were past their summer peak and beginning to go dormant for fall/winter. (So far, Jardin du Luxembourg still holds title as my favorite public garden in Paris.) We strolled and explored the gardens for about an hour, but soon the rain began to come down fairly steadily, and we decided to move on to get lunch and pick up some wines to bring home. We stumbled onto a lovely little wine shop in the 6th and began asking questions in French only to find that the manager was from California! He gave us some tastes and recommendations and we left with two bottles of very interesting reds, and picked up a couple of champagnes at another shop.

The very best part of the day, however, was being able to meet the fabulous Tish from A Femme d'un Certain Age! We rendezvoused in the afternoon at Angelina for a cup of the amazing chocolat chaud and what turned into hours of conversation. Tish is every bit as gorgeous, stylish, gracious, erudite, witty, warm and charming as you would imagine from reading her blog. We felt as if we'd known each other for years, and getting to meet her was a real treat and privilege.

Dinner for our last evening in Paris was at Christophe in the 5th (right near the Sorbonne, the streets awash with college-age kids). We'd heard that the food was great and the atmosphere lacking, but we found the minimalist, zen decor serene and soothing after a week of so much sensory stimulation. Yes, the food was as amazing as we'd heard. Back to the apartment to pack and crash, and the next day, an early morning cab to CDG. Always too soon we must leave!

I found some additional style notes I'd jotted down, and had forgotten to include in my style posts.

--Bags: hardware is minimal and mostly functional, few metallics are seen and those are more muted and subtle. (Did see some metallic shoes...gold Pumas, bronze ballet slippers.) Most bags observed still pretty substantial in size and soft, outnumbered the smaller structured "lady bags." Most of the more structured bags seen were croc-embossed (or real, peut-etre?). Did not see patent leather bags this time which were popular last fall, or flat square totes, unless cloth. Hermès Birkins still seen far more frequently than in the U.S. Some Louis Vuittons are seen, but more often the Damier canvas (my preference) than the more well-known "LV" logo design.

--Plain black tights far outnumber patterned versions, but occasionally the latter are seen, usually on younger women.

--Maquillage really is minimal and subtle, especially on les femmes d'un certain age. One doesn't see many brightly colored lips, frosted looks or obvious goopy glosses. No "raccoon" eyes. (Check out Tish's post from yesterday, enlarge the pics and you'll see what I'm talking about.) Likewise, you don't see the effects of very obvious plastic surgery or cosmetic procedures, (and if you do, the women are probably from the U.S., like the very loud and obnoxious American women who sat at the next table our second night at dinner discussing their various cosmetic procedures in more detail than fellow diners should be subjected to). No trout pout, unnaturally smooth or stiff skin, or cheekbones that could cut glass are observed among les Parisiennes.

--Not a lot of bling. I did see an occasional naturalistic rough stone or ethnic-inspired necklace, but one doesn't see women dripping in diamonds and gold chains, even the obviously wealthy ones. Jewelry is minimal and subtle for the most part.

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Paris style report: l'automne 2009 - Pants, Scarves

When it comes to les pantalons, denim continues to dominate, whether blue, black, grey or tan.

Skinny jeans, either tucked into boots or worn with ballet flats are still popular, but by no means the only style seen. Many women I spied, including les femmes d'un certain age, are wearing rolled or cropped pants (the better to showcase those great boots and shoes!).

Sometimes it's just a single, shallow roll, rather than the Full Boyfriend.

The woman wearing these pants was in her 60's and fabulous! Cropped silver hair, chic ensemble, and walking at such a fast clip with her friends that I had to follow her for several blocks to get a good shot of these pants.

Wide legged, cuffed trousers are also seen, worn at traditional lengths on women of all ages. (See yesterday's post, picture with Red Bag Woman or the second woman in the patterned coat for a typical examples.) Among the younger women, I spotted a few in baggy denim jeans/pants. What I didn't see were the very distressed or ripped denim jeans that seem to be having a heyday in LA.

One sees pants like these above, or M.C. Hammer-esque harem pants only very occasionally. The wearers appeared to be of a more artistic bent, and it does not appear that this style has made it into the mainstream, yet. Or perhaps cooler weather has consigned them to the back of armoires for the moment.

Capturing good scarf pictures was challenging, as almost everyone was wearing sweaters/coats over their scarves, due to the cool weather. However...

Les hommes are just as versed in les foulards as les femmes.

One sees every conceivable type of scarf worn, but the oblong or shawl versions wrapped several times around the neck (ends either loose or pulled up in a half-knot, which I'll show you later with one of mine) were what I observed most frequently. Much to my chagrin, I did notice that the only other women wearing Hermès carrés were quite a bit older and very conservatively dressed. When it comes to silk squares, one sees few if any fancy knots or ties; scarves are usually draped around the shoulders either over or under a coat or jacket, and loosely tied with a single knot, or worn loosely Ascot-style.

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